Just what is going on at the Tetari farm in New Zealand? First her father
is injured in a suspicious hunting accident, now someone is after the Tetari
family and their land. With the help of charismatic businessman and eldest son,
Luca Tetari, Ally Edwards is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. As
passion flares and love blooms, Ally and Luca search for the answers in Ellie
Lyons’ romantic suspense novel, Stealing Luca’s Heart, book one of her new contemporary series.

When Ally Edwards’ father, Cal, is injured in a suspicious hunting
accident in New Zealand, she takes leave from her job as a University of Iowa
economics instructor to rush down to be at her father’s bedside. When she
arrives, she finds herself hosted by her father’s friends, the Tetari family,
who welcome her into their home.

Luca Tetari, the eldest son, is not only a businessman in the family
corporation, but also the team captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s
national rugby team. Luca is the consummate player, skillful on the pitch and
off, indulging his fans and beguiling everyone around him. But as she gets to
know him, Ally discovers that Luca is far deeper as a person than his surface
charm would indicate, and soon she finds herself falling in love.

But while Ally and Luca are realizing their new affections, the Tetari
family and their land are under attack by unknown assailants. With a new
“green” energy project in development, who is trying to take over their
property, and how? Does this have anything to do with Cal’s injury? After all,
if someone has hurt one person, mightn’t that same individual be willing to
injure - or even kill - additional people to achieve his or her goals?

Excerpt

The plane made a
smooth landing and taxied into the gate. There was a tapping on the galley door
and the attendant unlocked it, pushing it open. An official-looking man in a
business suit was standing at the top of a mobile staircase. He quickly stepped
onto the plane, pointing at Ally.

“Ally Edwards?” he
yelled over the plane’s engines. He was wearing noise-canceling headphones,
held a radio in his left hand, and looked very official. She nodded to him, and
he motioned for her to follow him back down the stairs. She quickly retrieved
her bag and went.

She’d know where to
go once they landed, she got that now, but what in the world was going on? Why
was she slipping out the back of the plane? What was up with this family?
Didn’t they know how to text? She just needed to know what flight she was
supposed to get on.

She stepped out onto
the stairs and instantly felt the warmth of the sun and humid air. There were
palm trees and other tropical-looking plants bordering the runway. What was
that Jimmy Buffet song? Something about changes in latitude, changes in
attitude? She swore she could feel her hair springing back into its natural
waves.

The guy with the
radio was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. Next to him stood a
uniformed guard who was restraining a beagle. “Do you have your passport and
declaration forms?”

She handed them
over, watching him examine the papers and passport. The beagle eagerly sniffed
her backpack. It dawned on her that she had her own private immigration
officer. Now that was impressive. Perhaps she did have important friends, or
her dad did.

“Are you bringing in
any fruit or perishables?”

“No.”

“How long do you
plan on being in the country?”

Now that was a good
question. “A couple of weeks.” Ally hoped that would be enough time for her dad
to be healthy enough for the long trip back home.

Now she got it. Did
she have shit on her shoes? She knew she didn’t but did a quick check anyway
and shook her head.

The man continued
on. “We can’t have any contaminated soil coming into the country that could
potentially threaten our farms. So, to maintain our bio-security standards, we
must prevent the entry of pests and diseases into our country. We cannot risk
endangering New Zealand’s agriculture and horticulture industries. If you have
any animal or plant items with you, or packed in your luggage, you must declare
it on your passenger arrival card.”

They really don’t mess around here. “No, I have nothing to declare.” As if she doubted
herself, she performed another quick check of the bottom of her sneakers just
in case and hoped to God that she didn’t have an apple in her backpack. No, she
was positive she ate it.

He stamped her passport.
“Good, welcome to New Zealand, Ms. Edwards. Please follow me.” The engines were
on a manageable hum now as they walked around to the nose of the enormous plane
and stopped. Standing next to a 747 was nothing short of amazing. There was a
hive of activity from all the people swarming in to turn the plane over for its
next flight. The baggage workers were busy unloading massive piles of luggage
from their carts and placing them on a conveyer belt to make their way into the
terminal.

“It will be just one
moment,” said the man with the radio.

She nodded, unsure
if she should ask him if he knew what she was supposed to do next. She decided
against it and observed her surroundings. There was an empty baggage cart
zipping away from the others, coming around the plane and stopping in front of
them. The driver had only one bag, hers!

Nervous excitement
suddenly sizzled through her system. Even under the green John Deere hat and
aviator sunglasses she recognized him. Luca Tetari eased his body out of the
cart and strode easily up to the immigration officer. They shook hands and
exchanged greetings like old friends.

“Cheers, John,
thanks for your help.” His rich voice held the New Zealand accent that she had
always found fascinating. “I’d be happy to get you some box seats for the next
match.”

“No, that’s all
right. I’m glad I could help you out, Luca. We do this type of thing
occasionally. Give Australia hell, will ya, in Christchurch? Hey, do you have
time for a quick photo together?”

“Of course, it’s the
least I can do,” Luca said warmly.

John took his phone
out of his pocket, thrusting it toward her, nodding to suggest she take the
photo.

Exhaling, she put
down her backpack and wondered where on Earth she had actually landed. Be
gracious, she reminded herself. This guy is paying for your flight. Luca put
his arm on John’s shoulder and both grinned ear to ear as she snapped the
picture. She handed the phone back and stood idly as John shook Luca’s hand
once more, clearly very excited, and scurried back into the airport.

Luca turned his
attention to Ally. He pulled his sunglasses off, revealing brilliant eyes the
color of green sea glass underneath dark lashes. Her breath caught while she
scanned his face. Damn, those internet photos didn’t do him justice.

He walked toward her
and held out his hand. “Ally, I’m Luca Tetari. First off, I can’t tell you how
very sorry our family is about your dad. I can only imagine how worried you
are.”

Ally smiled
politely. “It’s nice to meet you, Luca. I’m glad to finally be here to see how
he’s doing.” She felt her palm start to sweat and wasn’t sure if it was because
of the temperature or the man holding it. She gently pulled her hand away.

“I can imagine.
We’ve seen that Cal is taken care of. Your dad, man, he’s a tough bird. I think
he would’ve taken the bullet out himself if he hadn’t passed out first.”

“My dad passed out?”
she exclaimed, taking a step back. She knew she still didn’t know the full
extent of his injuries, but hearing it from him was upsetting.

As if realizing his
mistake, he countered, “But he’s doing better. My mum’s down there, and believe
me, she’s got things under control. What do you say we get out of here, and I
can fill you in on the plane?”

“I’m ready.” Luca
reached out to take her backpack from her, but she shook her head. “No, I’ve
got it. Thank you.”

“Hey, sorry about
sneaking you out the back of the plane, but I really didn’t want the hassle of
crowds today,” he said, turning to her and placing his hand on her shoulder.
“Believe it or not—and my guess would be ‘or not’—this was a lot easier than
navigating through the airport with us trying to get your bag and hopping on a
commercial flight.”

She studied him, wondering
what that was supposed to mean. Luca must have read her expression because he
nodded behind them toward the airport glass windows. Ally followed his gaze and
immediately recognized the flight attendant she had been sitting next to
staring in her direction along with dozens of other people. All of them had
their noses up against the gate windows, and some were even taking pictures.

“What can I say,” he
said, shrugging. “I play rugby and kiwis love their rugby.”

She was beginning to
think that this attention wasn’t solely because he played rugby. “Wow, maybe I
should get my picture taken with you too?” she teased.

Luca shook his head,
giving her a full, unguarded smile. “I only pose for All Black fans. I am
simply your chauffeur today.” He waved his hand, motioning for her to get into
the baggage cart.

She was aware of him
watching her as they both climbed into the cart. She held on while he navigated
around the airport chaos, stopping abruptly in front of a private jet. This just keeps getting better and better,
she decided, looking from Luca to the plane. A lovely lady with a short cap of
red hair and wearing a gray pantsuit with a logo on the breast of the jacket
hustled down the steps.

“This doesn’t look
like a commercial flight,” she said, turning to Luca. There was amusement on
his face when he glanced briefly over to her.

“Ally, this is Sue,”
Luca explained, jumping out of the cart and reaching for her suitcase. “She’ll
help you get settled on board, and I’ll be up in just a minute. I’ll just get
your bag stored.”

She decided it might
just be easier to do as she was told as she stepped out of the cart with her
backpack and followed Sue up the steps. She’d put up with all the fancy Tetaris
until her dad was able to travel. Ally hoped Tara would be able to fly down
soon. She really should send another text to her when she had the chance. When
she reached the top of the steps, she turned around, glancing down at Luca. He
had the cell phone to his ear and casually looked up, meeting her gaze. He gave
her a thin smile and turned away to talk into his phone. Ally hesitated on the
steps as she listened to his conversation.

“Hey, Mum, it’s
Luca.”

She may have
prejudged this guy. Luca Tetari seemed like a nice guy. Actually, a nice, very
rich guy. Damn. She immediately
decided he was a little too smooth for her taste and boarded the plane.

***

Luca shifted the
phone to his other ear as he glanced up to the plane’s door and the shapely
figure moving inside. He pushed Ally’s bag into the jet’s storage area and then
slammed the cargo hold shut. “She’s on our plane now. I told her things were
under control on the hospital front.”

He finished his
conversation with his mum, who gave him Cal’s update. She had asked how Ally
was doing. Luca’s first thought on Ally wasn’t the answer a guy shared with his
mother. He waved back to the pilot who signaled that take-off was in five minutes.

He was told Ally was
a college instructor, but with that body he was definitely envisioning
something else. Cal had completely neglected to mention what Ally looked like
in all these years. Man, was I ever
misled. Who could blame Cal for being protective? I’ve never been to college,
but I thought Ally would be a studious, intellectual type, sporting thick
glasses, not a sports cap. She doesn’t seem to know or care who I am. Not only
is she an absolute stunner, but those large eyes hold some spunk. “Very
interesting,” he said, climbing the steps.

Strong, realistic characters with family loyalty, jealousy, intrigue, and
a love story all mixed together and set in New Zealand make for a very
interesting read. I don't usually read romance novels but this was recommended
and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My congrats to the first time author. She has a
winner! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from her.

New Zealand is such an amazing country. My goal with this book was to
take the reader on a journey of the geography and people. Not many people will
be able to visit New Zealand but after reading this series, they will come away
feeling like they did.

Which comes first?
The character's story or the idea for the novel?

Excellent question. With The
Tetari’s of New Zealand series and the trilogy I’m working on now, I’d say
the character’s story. In Stealing
Luca’s Heart, I wanted to showcase a wealthy rugby player, because in
NZ the sport is revered and the athletes worshipped. I then built the rest of
the story around his family.

What was the hardest
part to write in this book?

The hardest part was the resolution of the conflicts. Building the layers
of the story and romance is the fun part, neatly tying it altogether took me
more time. Especially, as this was my first novel.

How do you hope this
book affects its readers?

I hope readers enjoy learning a bit about New Zealand while they follow
the journey of Ally and Luca. There are many family members and locations still
to explore in the upcoming books!

How long did it take
you to write this book?

One year. The learning curve is over so I'm knocking the words out faster
this time around.

What is your writing
routine?

I wish I had one. I cobble together 4-5 hours a day. I sneak in writing anywhere
I can. It could be the hour before dinner, a soccer field parking lot or at my
desk on midnight. No matter where I am though, my writing playlist is a must!

That's great! What
advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?

What has worked for me is to just write. There are so many time sucks out
there that are tempting: online writers groups, social media, etc. Just write
your entire story then find someone you trust to give you the good, bad, or
ugly. Nora Roberts says, “Butt in chair,” and that is so true. Then write an awesome
query to either an agent or online publisher.

Great advice, Ellie.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I have a daughter on a cup soccer team. Enough said.

What does your
family think of your writing?

My husband is very tolerant of me disappearing for hours to pursue my
dream. I have two teenage boys that still aren’t sure what I’m doing.

Did you like reading
when you were a child?

I loved reading. In high school and college my English classes were
always my favorite.

When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?

Strangely enough, the desire to write a novel struck me when I was 30,
but I didn’t know what I wanted to write. It wasn’t until I returned from New
Zealand that inspiration hit me. I haven’t stopped writing since.

I have four more books in The
Tetari’s of New Zealand series and I am talking with an agent about a
trilogy I’m working on. Stay tuned!

Thank you for taking
the time to stop by today, Ellie. Best of luck with your future projects.

About the Author

Ellie Lyons is a destination romance author who takes her readers to New
Zealand in her debut series. Ellie lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and
three kids. Her days are filled with working on her next novel, but in her
spare time she enjoys running, baking, being a soccer mom and wishing she could
travel the world for book research.

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